Banks, large corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals alike lend and loan money to make more money, spur corporate growth, buy property, start a business, and help those in need. Funding prosperity and goodwill can be one outcome of financial investments. However, it’s not all good news. Today, we often hear about financial mismanagement, embezzlement, and money laundering, sometimes leading to bankruptcy and/or government bailouts—But financial fraud is not a modern story.

UMBC’s Amy Froide, professor of history, teaches courses in British history and European women’s history between 1500-1800 and researches social, economic, and gender history. During a research trip to the U.K., Froide found documents about the Charitable Corporation’s financial disaster of 1732, which she wrote about in The Conversation.

“The Charitable Corporation was notable in having a high proportion of female investors—35 percent of the funders in the 1700s were women,” Froide explains to Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and host of The Academic Minute, a daily show featuring faculty from colleges and universities worldwide speaking about their cutting-edge research. “When the financial scandal came to light, it was these women who led activist shareholders to call for government compensation.”

UMBC’s Academic Minute takeover week

Froide joined five UMBC scholars this fall in UMBC’s first Academic Minute Takeover Week, featuring the latest research in media and communication studies; modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication; language, literacy, and culture; and history. This series is republished on NPR podcasts and Inside Higher Ed.

Learn more about Amy Froide’s research:

• Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690-1750 (Oxford University Press, 2016)
• Never Married: Single Women in Early Modern England (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005)
• Single Women in the European Past, 1250-1800 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013)
• Professor Froide has served as the book review editor for the Journal of British Studies and as president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference on British Studies.

Learn more about UMBC’s history major and graduate programs.

The RAND Corporation is currently recruiting for our 2024 Summer Associate research internship for doctoral students. Please share the information below with current graduate students enrolled in doctoral or professional degree programs who may be interested in a paid summer internship that provides experience with policy research at a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution. We welcome all applicants, including those who identify as part of historically marginalized groups.

Download a printable flyer »

RAND Summer Associate Paid Internship

Summer Associates are mentored by an experienced researcher, typically work in an interdisciplinary team, and engage in a wide range of activities to learn what it is like to work at RAND. The program is typically 12 weeks of full-time research; students receive a bi-weekly paycheck.

Application Information

Positions will only be available for students residing in the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories) for the duration of the summer associate assignment.

Read more important details and FAQs »

About RAND

The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND's research and analysis address issues that impact people everywhere, including security, health, education, sustainability, growth, and development. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.

Our research is sponsored by government agencies, international organizations, and foundations. We rely on philanthropic support to pursue visionary ideas; address critical problems that are under-researched; and devise innovative approaches for solving acute, complex, or provocative policy challenges. RAND values objectivity and integrity in both its research processes and internal interactions. We emphasize a collegial, equitable, and inclusive environment that respects the contributions and dignity of all staff.

To the Jewish community of UMBC: 

UMBC Hillel is working to support Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff during this time of heightened tension and conflict. We know that many of you are experiencing deep fears and emotions, and you are not alone. Please know that we are prioritizing student safety—both physical and emotional, and urge you take care of your mental health. Please do not engage with anyone who makes threatening or antisemitic comments in-person or online. And if you see anything of concern, please report it to ECR and Hillel staff.

We are aware of inflammatory and hurtful statements that are circulating within the UMBC community. We are pained at any demonstration of support for Hamas, a terrorist organization with the stated aim of killing Jews that this month conducted the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. There can be no justification for the vile atrocities and human rights abuses committed against defenseless Israeli civilians, most of whom were women, children, babies, and elderly. And there is no justification for the spreading of false information and baseless accusations about Israel, the erasure of Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish homeland, or the use of antisemitic rhetoric here on campus. This serves only to endanger the Jewish and Israeli members of our UMBC community, and that cannot be tolerated in a campus environment that aims to be welcoming and inclusive. 

At this time of shocking grief for the global Jewish community and amidst the explosion of antisemitism in our country and around the world, we hope our community can show up in solidarity with us and that campus can remain a safe space for Jewish and Israeli students to live and learn without fear. 

Our Hillel professionals are available to any student, regardless of faith, who needs someone to talk to, share a cup of coffee, help report an incident, or access mental health resources. We invite you to join us for our weekly communal gathering for Shabbat on Fridays, 5-6:30 PM in the Gathering Space and for Pomegranate, our Jewish LGBTQ+ student-facilitated support group, which meets on Tuesdays, 5-6 PM in the Pride Center.

We also invite all students to learn how to confront antisemitic stereotypes, hate speech, vandalism, and anti-Israel incidents at the ADL’s Words to Action on Thursday, November 9th from 6-8 PM. Dinner will be provided—please RSVP by 11/2.

With prayers for the return of the captives and the safety of Israel, 

The UMBC Hillel Team:

Aliza Silverman, Interim Campus Director

Danielle Baron, Director of Israel and Engagement

hillelumbc@umbc.edu